North Liberty man serving 100 years sentenced to another 50 for Iowa City sexual assault

IOWA CITY — The father of a woman who was sexually assaulted in her home in Iowa City three years ago spoke to her attacker Monday as the man was sentenced to 50 years in prison — on top of the 100 years he’s already serving for similar attacks in Black Hawk County.

“One of the most heartbreaking aspects of this is hearing (my daughter) ask, ‘Why me?’ She struggles to understand why she was targeted and what she did to deserve such pain,” the victim’s father told the attacker, Asante Walker-Garcia Adams, in a victim impact statement delivered during a sentencing hearing.

Walker-Garcia Adams, 27, of North Liberty, pleaded guilty in February to second-degree sexual abuse, first-degree burglary and second-degree robbery in the Iowa City attack. A second charge of second-degree sexual abuse was dismissed during the sentencing as part of a plea agreement.

On Sept. 6, 2022, Walker-Garcia Adams broke into a woman’s house in Iowa City, punched her, threatened to kill her with a knife and sexually assaulted her, according to court documents.

The victim was able to describe the suspect and recognize him in footage from a doorbell camera in the area, but investigators weren’t able to identify him as Walker-Garcia Adams until the Black Hawk County incidents happened in 2023.

In Black Hawk County, Walker-Garcia Adams was convicted of breaking into two different women’s apartments to attack and rape them. In December, a judge sentenced him to a century in prison for those attacks.

Walker-Garcia Adams also is facing a trial in Linn County for additional charges related to another sexual assault that happened in Center Point in 2023. That trial is scheduled to begin in June.

The Iowa City victim’s father, in his victim impact statement, said his daughter and the rest of her family have struggled emotionally and financially as they’ve sought mental health support after the attack.

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“We have endured sleepless nights, bouts of rage and the heart-wrenching pain of watching our daughter suffer,” the victim’s father said.

He asked the judge to sentence Walker-Garcia Adams to the maximum amount of time allowed by law, which would have been 60 years if all three counts were run consecutively — 25 years each for the sexual abuse and burglary charges, and 10 years for the robbery charge. Judge Kevin McKeever chose to run the robbery charge concurrent with the burglary charge, but the sexual abuse charge consecutively, for a total of 50 years. There is a 75 percent mandated minimum on the 25-year charges before parole can be considered.

“Your actions have caused unimaginable pain and suffering. You have forever changed the life of a young woman and her family,” the victim’s father told Walker-Garcia Adams Monday. “The impact of your crimes will be felt for years to come.”

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